Soldiers from the Lebanese army work near trucks carrying weapons received from the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, Lebanon, Dec. 30, 2025. The Lebanese army on Tuesday received the fifth batch of weapons handed over from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, as part of a state-led plan to centralize arms under national authority. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese army on Tuesday received the fifth batch of weapons handed over from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, as part of a state-led plan to centralize arms under national authority.
The batch, transported on four trucks, included a rocket launcher platform with 16 surface-to-surface rockets, heavy machine guns, medium weapons, and ammunition.
The handover was completed by the Palestinian National Security Forces at the Ain el-Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon's Sidon, according to a statement from the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee carried by Lebanon's official National News Agency.
According to the statement, the step marks further progress in efforts to resolve the issue of Palestinian weapons outside state control, in line with government commitments to uphold full national sovereignty.
Previous handovers occurred in late August from several camps across Beirut and southern Lebanon.
On Aug. 5, the Lebanese government tasked the army with drafting a plan to confine all weapons, including those of Hezbollah, to state authority by year-end, despite opposition from some ministers.
There are about 500,000 Palestinian refugees registered in Lebanon with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees as of late 2023. ■
Soldiers from the Lebanese army guard trucks carrying weapons received from the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, Lebanon, Dec. 30, 2025. The Lebanese army on Tuesday received the fifth batch of weapons handed over from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, as part of a state-led plan to centralize arms under national authority. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
A soldier from the Lebanese army guards a truck carrying weapons received from the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, Lebanon, Dec. 30, 2025. The Lebanese army on Tuesday received the fifth batch of weapons handed over from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, as part of a state-led plan to centralize arms under national authority. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
